Society For American Baseball Research Baseball Records Committee Lyle Spatz, Editor June 2009

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1 Society For American Baseball Research Baseball Records Committee Lyle Spatz, Editor June 2009 Not everything that counts is counted; not everything that is counted is worth counting. ---Albert Einstein THE RECORDS COMMITTEE HAS A NEW VICE-CHAIRMAN Joe Dittmar has chosen to step down as vice-chairman of the Records Committee. I sincerely thank Joe for all his contributions to the committee. He held the position for many years and left only because of an increase in duties and responsibilities at work. Joe is not leaving SABR, nor is he leaving the committee. He has graciously consented to continue proofreading the newsletters (he has saved me from many an embarrassing typo over the years), and to supply some of the hard-to-find pictures that appear in each issue. Joe is a terrific researcher, so I expect he will be contributing in other ways also. More importantly, Joe is the kindest, most decent man I know. I am honored to call him my friend. There may not be a place for it in the SABR brochure section on fringe benefits, but meeting people like Joe Dittmar is truly one of the best things about SABR membership. The Board of Directors approved my recommendation that Joe s place be taken by Trent McCotter. Trent is currently a law student at the University of North Carolina. He started contributing record-related corrections to Steve Gietschier, Pete Palmer, Steve Hirdt, and me back when he was a teenager. Now one can hardly pick up a newspaper or look at a baseball website without seeing a reference to Trent concerning some little-known record related to the previous day s games. Trent also started our Records Committee egroup, which continues to grow, and I expect him to lead the way in increasing our web presence. SABR 39 IN WASHINGTON, DC SABR returns to our glorious Nation s Capital this summer. Our 39th annual convention will be held at the beautiful J. W. Marriott hotel in downtown Washington from July 30 to August 2. The Records Committee meeting is scheduled for Friday, July 31, at nine a.m. Please me with anything you think worthy of inclusion on the agenda. The Bob Davids Chapter has worked long and hard to put together what promises to be a terrific program. I urge everyone to attend and, if possible, to bring your children. I commuted from the Maryland suburbs into Washington for almost 40 years, and I never failed to get goose bumps when I entered the city. Get out and see the sights. It will be a great patriotic and educational experience for all. MOST PUTOUTS BY A LEFT-HANDED PITCHER John Heer found an error in John Schwartz s statement in the April newsletter that Tom Glavine, with 262, is tied with Jim Kaat for the most putouts by a left-handed pitcher. John (Heer) points out that Jamie Moyer had 267 putouts going into the 2009 season.

2 FRANCHISE CAREER RUNS-BATTED-IN LEADERS THROUGH 2008 Courtesy of Ev Cope Baltimore Cal Ripken 1,695 Boston Cark Yastrzemski 1,844 Chicago Frank Thomas 1,465 Cleveland Earl Averill 1,084 Detroit Ty Cobb 1,804 Kansas City George Brett 1,595 Los Angeles Garrett Anderson 1,292 Minnesota Harmon Killebrew 1,540 New York Lou Gehrig 1,995 Oakland Al Simmons 1,178 Seattle Edgar Martinez 1,261 Tampa Bay Aubrey Huff 449 Texas Juan Gonzalez 1,180 Toronto Carlos Delgado 1,058 Arizona Luis Gonzalez 774 Atlanta Hank Aaron 2,202 Chicago Cap Anson 1,879 Cincinnati Johnny Bench 1,376 Colorado Todd Helton 1,117 Florida Mike Lowell 578 Houston Jeff Bagwell 1,529 Los Angeles Duke Snider 1,271 Milwaukee Robin Yount 1,406 New York Darryl Strawberry 733 Philadelphia Mike Schmidt 1,595 Pittsburgh Willie Stargell St. Louis Stan Musial 1,951 San Diego Tony Gwynn 1,138 San Francisco Mel Ott 1,860 Washington Tim Wallach 905 PITCHERS WHO SPENT 15 SEASONS OR MORE WITH ONE AMERICAN LEAGUE TEAM According to Bill Arnold, Mariano Rivera and Tim Wakefield joined the list this season, making for a total of 17. itcher Team Seasons Years Walter Johnson Senators Ted Lyons White Sox , Red Faber White Sox Mel Harder Indians Jim Palmer Orioles , Bob Feller Indians , Tommy Bridges Tigers , Whitey Ford Yankees 1950, "Hooks" Dauss Tigers Red Ruffing Yankees , Hal Newhauser Tigers Jim Kaat Senators-Twins John Hiller Tigers , Mike Flanagan Orioles , Dave Stieb Blue Jays , Mariano Rivera Yankees Tim Wakefield Red Sox EARLY WYNN Jim Smith has been compiling career won-lost records for various pitchers. Here are the totals for Early Wynn, who pitched for Washington (AL) 1939, , ; Cleveland (AL) , 1963; and Chicago (AL) Won Lost PCT. Boston Chicago Cleveland Detroit Los Angeles New York Philadelphia/Kansas City PHI KC St. Louis/Baltimore STL BAL Washington/Minnesota WAS MIN Washington (2)

3 TEENAGERS AND 40-YEAR-OLDS Madison McEntire reminds us that when Gary Sheffield hit his 500th home run this past April, he joined Ty Cobb and Rusty Staub as the only players to have hit home runs as both a teenager and after turning 40. That got Peter Ridges to thinking about who might eventually join Cobb, Staub, and Sheffield. Here is Peter s list of all the other active players who have homered in their teens along with the year they turn 40. Ken Griffey: November 2009 Ivan Rodriguez: November 2011 Alex Rodriguez 2015 Andruw Jones 2017 Aramis Ramirez 2018 Adrian Beltre 2019 B. J. Upton 2024 Justin Upton 2027 The flip side of this would be pitchers who won major league games before they were 20 and after they turned 40. Ron Liebman says there three: Herb Pennock, Bert Blyleven, and Mike Morgan. Herb Pennock Bert Blyleven Mike Morgan

4 MOST PRODUCTIVE PLAYERS WHO MADE THEIR DEBUTS IN THE YEARS David Frank has compiled lists of players who debuted in a specific year and went on to compile the highest totals in various career categories: games, hits, home runs, etc. This list covers the top five for the years Games: Frank Robinson, 2808; Luis Aparicio, 2599; Bill Mazeroski, 2163; Curt Flood, 1759; Tito Francona, 1719 Runs: Frank Robinson, 1829; Luis Aparicio, 1335; Curt Flood, 851; Bill White, 843; Bill Mazeroski, 769 RBI: Frank Robinson, 1812; Bill White, 870; Bill Mazeroski, 853; Luis Aparicio, 791; Tito Francona, 656 Hits: Frank Robinson, 2943; Luis Aparicio, 2677; Bill Mazeroski, 2016; Curt Flood, 1861; Bill White, B: Frank Robinson, 528; Luis Aparicio, 394; Bill Mazeroski, 294; Bill White, 278; Curt Flood, 271 3B: Luis Aparicio, 92; Frank Robinson, 72; Bill White, 65; Bill Mazeroski, 62; Jerry Lumpe, 52 HR: Frank Robinson, 586; Bill White, 202; Don Demeter, 163; Bill Mazeroski, 138; Norm Siebern, Games: John Roseboro, 1585; Roger Maris, 1463; Jim Landis, 1346: Lenny Green, 1136; Tony Kubek, 1092 Runs: Roger Maris, 826; Jim Landis, 625: Tony Kubek, 522; John Roseboro, 512; Lenny Green, 461 RBI: Roger Maris, 851; Jim Gentile, 549: John Roseboro, 548; Jim Landis, 467: Tony Kubek, 373 Hits: Roger Maris, 1325; John Roseboro, 1206; Tony Kubek, 1109; Jim Landis, 1061: Eddie Kasko, 935 2B: Roger Maris, 195; John Roseboro, 190; Tony Kubek, 178; Jim Landis, 169: Eddie Kasko, 146 3B: Jim Landis, 50: John Roseboro, 44; Roger Maris, 42; Tony Kubek, 30; Lenny Green, 27 HR: Roger Maris, 275; Jim Gentile, 179: John Roseboro, 104; Jim Landis, 93: Dick Brown, Games: Vada Pinson, 2469; Ron Fairly, 2442; Tony Taylor, 2195; Orlando Cepeda, 2124; Norm Cash, 2089 Runs: Vada Pinson, 1366; Orlando Cepeda, 1131; Norm Cash, 1046; Tony Taylor, 1005; Felipe Alou, 985 RBI: Orlando Cepeda, 1365; Vada Pinson, 1170; Frank Howard, 1119; Norm Cash, 1103; Ron Fairly, 1044 Hits: Vada Pinson, 2757; Orlando Cepeda, 2351; Felipe Alou, 2101; Tony Taylor, 2007; Ron Fairly, B: Vada Pinson, 485; Orlando Cepeda, 417; Felipe Alou, 359; Johnny Callison, 321; Ron Fairly, 307 3B: Vada Pinson, 127; Johnny Callison, 89; Tony Taylor, 86; Bob Allison, 53; Felipe Alou, 49 HR: Frank Howard, 382; Orlando Cepeda, 379; Norm Cash, 377; Bob Allison, 256; Vada Pinson, Games: Willie McCovey, 2588; Billy Williams, 2488; Tommy Davis, 1999; Maury Wills, 1942; Tim McCarver, 1909 Runs: Billy Williams, 1410; Willie McCovey, 1229; Maury Wills, 1067; Tommy Davis, 811; Zoilo Versalles, 650 RBI: Willie McCovey, 1555; Billy Williams, 1475; Tommy Davis, 1052; Tim McCarver, 645; Zoilo Versalles, 471 Hits: Billy Williams, 2711; Willie McCovey, 2211; Maury Wills, 2134; Tommy Davis, 2121; Tim McCarver, B: Billy Williams, 434; Willie McCovey, 353; Tommy Davis, 272; Tim McCarver, 242; Zoilo Versalles, 230 3B: Billy Williams, 88; Maury Wills, 71; Zoilo Versalles, 63; Tim McCarver, 57; Willie McCovey, 46 HR: Willie McCovey, 521; Billy Williams, 426; Tommy Davis, 153; George Altman, 101; Gordy Coleman, Games: Willie Davis, 2429; Ron Santo, 2243; Joe Torre, 2209; Leo Cardenas, 1941; Deron Johnson, 1765 Runs: Willie Davis, 1217; Ron Santo, 1138; Joe Torre, 996; Dick McAuliffe, 888; Julian Javier, 722 RBI: Ron Santo, 1331; Joe Torre, 1185; Willie Davis, 1053; Deron Johnson, 923; Dick McCauliffe, 697 Hits: Willie Davis, 2561; Joe Torre, 2342; Ron Santo, 2254; Leo Cardenas, 1725; Dick McCauliffe, B: Willie Davis, 395; Ron Santo, 365; Joe Torre, 344; Leo Cardenas, 285; Deron Johnson, 247 3B: Willie Davis, 138; Dick McCauliffe, 71; Ron Santo, 67; Joe Torre, 59; Tony Gonzalez, 57 HR: Ron Santo, 342; Joe Torre, 252; Deron Johnson, 245: Don Mincher, 200; Dick McCauliffe, 197 Luis Aparicio Roger Maris Vada Pinson Tommy Davis Joe Torre

5 CATCHING VIC RASCHI, ALLIE REYNOLDS, AND ED LOPAT Those of us of a certain age remember Raschi, Reynolds, and Lopat (and their names were always said in that order) as one of the most dominant pitching trios ever. The three were Yankee teammates from Courtesy of Walt Wilson, here are their batterymates for their entire careers. CATCHING VIC RASCHI Vic Raschi pitched for New York (AL) ; St. Louis (NL) ; and Kansas City (AL) He made 255 starts and threw 26 shutouts. Yogi Berra Gus Niarhos 19 1 Bill Sarni 16 1 Charlie Silvera 16 0 Joe Astroth 14 0 Del Rice 11 1 Aaron Robinson 10 1 Billy Shantz 4 0 Sal Yvars 3 0 Sherm Lollar 2 0 Ralph Houk 1 0 Gus Triandos 1 0 Total All of Raschi s shutouts were with one catcher. CATCHING ALLIE REYNOLDS Allie Reynolds pitched for Cleveland (AL) ; and New York (AL) He made 309 starts and threw 36 shutouts. Yogi Berra Frankie Hayes 32 2 Buddy Rosar 23 3 Gus Niarhos 17 1 Jim Hegan 15 2 Aaron Robinson 15 2 Charlie Silvera 11 1 Ralph Houk 8 0 Gene Desautels 7 0 Sherm Lollar 7 1 Jim McDonnell 6 1 Norm Schlueter 6 1 Hank Ruszkowski 3 0 Russ Lyon 2 0 George Susce 2 0 Ken Silvestri 1 0 Ralph Weigel 1 0 Total Two of Reynolds s shutouts were with more than one catcher. CATCHING ED LOPAT Ed Lopat pitched for Chicago (AL) ; New York (AL) ; and Baltimore (AL) He made 318 starts and threw 27 shutouts. Yogi Berra Mike Tresh 67 4 Charlie Silvera 21 0 Gus Niarhos 16 3 George Dickey 13 1 Frankie Hayes 11 1 Tom Turner 6 0 Vince Castino 5 0 Ralph Houk 4 0 Hal W. Smith 4 0 Ed Fernandes 3 0 Joe Stephenson 3 0 Gus Triandos 3 0 Tom Jordan 1 1 Total One of Lopat s shutouts was with more than one catcher. Vic Rashi Allie Reynolds Ed Lopat

6 CATCHING BABE ADAMS AND MEL HARDER Courtesy of Walt Wilson, here are the batterymates for two durable right-handers who spent their long careers with just one team. CATCHING BABE ADAMS Babe Adams pitched for Pittsburgh (NL) , , He made 354 starts and threw 44 shutouts. George Gibson Walter Schmidt Mike Simon 31 4 Johnny Gooch 27 1 Bobby Schang 11 2 Billy Kelly 9 2 Bill Haeffner 7 2 Jake Kafora 7 0 Earl Smith 7 0 Bob Coleman 6 0 Fred Blackwell 5 1 Cliff Lee 4 0 Leo Murphy 4 0 Jim Mattox 2 1 Bill Skiff 2 0 Ed Sweeney 2 0 Tony Brottem 1 0 Nig Clarke 1 0 Mike Grady 1 0 Bubber Jonnard 1 0 Billy Kelsey 1 0 Ed Phelps 1 0 Total One of Adams s shutouts was with more than one catcher. CATCHING MEL HARDER Mel Harder pitched for Cleveland (AL) He made 433 starts and threw 25 shutouts. Frankie Pytlak Glenn Myatt 49 3 Rollie Hemsley 41 2 Luke Sewell 39 0 Jim Hegan 32 1 Buddy Rosar 30 2 Billy Sullivan Jr Gene Desautels 17 3 Roy Spencer 14 1 Bill Brenzel 13 1 Frankie Hayes 13 1 Eddie Phillips 10 0 Otto Denning 7 1 Norm Schlueter 6 1 George Susce 5 0 Moe Berg 4 1 Al Lopez 4 0 Joe Becker 3 0 Bob Garbark 3 2 Greek George 2 0 Joe Sprinz 2 0 Grover Hartley 1 0 Jim McDonnell 1 0 Total All of Harder s shutouts were with one catcher.